The portfolio workbook as a strategy for student-centred learning

This paper described the portfolio workbook as a strategy to support student-centred learning in nurse education. The portfolio workbook combines the use of reflection on prior experiences, forward planning to meet identified course outcomes, critical incident analysis and a reflective journal to ensure the integration of theory with practice. This enables the student, rather than the teacher, to control the educative process, and thus develops the skills of autonomy and decision-making envisaged in the development of Project 2000 courses. In using a weekly add-on format, the workbook provides a comprehensive record of the student's learning, whilst at the same time monitoring progress and facilitating the acquisition of knowledge and skills. The use of reflective practice from the beginning of the course, and reinforced throughout, enables the student to internalize the process as a way of identifying and managing their own learning needs. The author concludes that this strategy would be appropriate for all types of nurse learners; however, a precondition for this is an espousal and commitment by teachers to student-centered philosophies and methods of learning.